It’s not what. It’s who.

We have about six weeks left here in Asia. I say “Asia” because we have a trip planned for Thailand and another, longer trip planned for The Philippines. It seemed like a long time for us to be away from home when we were planning this adventure, and now that time has dwindled down to a little over a month. It’s not surprising that time has gone by so quickly. We all morphed into our new routines and life here, and time did what it is supposed to do: keep going. Now that we have those routines down, we are thinking about going home.

On a bus ride to Raffles Hotel last weekend, I asked my older daughter what she might miss about Singapore when we go back home. “It’s not what. It’s who. … I’m going to miss people,” she said.

“Who will you miss?” I asked her, even though I knew exactly who she was talking about.

“My friends,” and the she listed her new crew here: Anoushka, Saesha, Ivy, and Shaona. “I’m probably never going to see them again, right?” My heart sank to my stomach and leaped into my throat simultaneously. At eight years old, she gets it. She understands that sometimes friendships are dependent upon proximity, and when we lose that proximity, the friendships can disintegrate. I didn’t affirm or refute her question because I had to take a minute to think about how to respond. She continued, “Do you think I’ll ever see them again?”

“I don’t know, but you may be right,” I finally responded.

She nodded her head, looked out the bus window and said nothing.

“But, you never know,” I heard the optimist in me blurt out to soften the blow. “Maybe we will be back here. Maybe your friends will visit the States. We can’t really predict what the future holds. It’s great that you made friends here so easily and you were able to share some fun times with them.” I try to help her focus on gratitude, instead of nostalgia.

She then went on to recount that some of friends had told her they would be visiting the US. It’s hard to believe what these 8 – 9 year-olds know of their families travel plans, but she claimed that at least one of them was planning to visit the somewhere in the US. She didn’t know any other details beyond that, though. I told her that she can invite them to stay with us in Chicago. She smiled, obviously thinking about the prospect of her two worlds – Singapore and Chicago – colliding. “Yes, we do have plenty of room and they can stay in our basement,” she concluded. “That would be awesome,” I affirmed.

I’ve made friends here, too. My friendships have not been formed over recess time and play dates, but over a common passion for teaching and learning…and at least a few share meals – this is Singapore, after all, where one of the national pastimes is eating. I can’t predict what will become of these friendships either, but I’ll remain hopeful that I’ll be able to sustain them when I return to Chicago.

A few pictures from our adventure to Raffles and nearby CHIJMES. I was determined to have a legit Singapore Sling before we leave. We only have a few weeks left and my wish was finally granted.